I'm starting this blog, because Turpy asked me this question in an old blog:
http://www.1eyedeel.com/forum/topics/the-polynesian-puzzle
I don't really want to start another Polynesian vs Anglo player debate. It turns into a shit fight because some people can't help themselves and I strongly believe it's the wrong question to be asking.
First, a quick point in regards to the question Turps asked of me, re Ricky Stuart. Interestingly, it's been Ricky that has doubled down on our Polynesia players. Look at all the juniors he's cast off - from the start of the year, you've had Matty Eiso, Rory Brien, Jason Seage, Paddy, etc. All of the boys he's been pushing through that have played NRL or NSW Cup have been polynesian. Kelepi, Vai, Junior Paulo, Pauli Pauli, Joseph Uasele. Kearney was actually of the belief that as a stereotype your anglo forwards tended to have better endurance and you needed a few of those guys in your pack for balance.
Anyway, enough of that, but I've pretty much come to the conclusion that the entire race debate is just absolutely bollocks. And it's an easy debate to have because it's something that's easy to draw generalisations I've about. My current thinking is that as a club we have to put much more emphasis on two things - defensive ability and mental toughness.
These are the results for our club on the weekend. NRL 40 to 12. NYC 54 to 18. NSW Cup. 64 to 24.
I don't think you have to be a genius to see what the problem is here. That's an average of conceding 52 points per game across the three grades - that is simply astonishing.
I supported Kearney for a long time, because at least we saw improvement in the club's defence, and to my mind it's been where we were always behind the eight ball. However, Kearney threw the baby out with the bathwater to try and turn us into a side of grafters. What we do need is to go back to our junior system and re-think what is important.
What we tend to do is pick the best athletes and eventually the weak defenders and weak of mind, fall off. I think we should start by only pushing kids into our junior rep teams who excel defensively and who show the right kind of aptitude. Then from that core of kids, the physically inferior ones drop off. I don't care if their black, white, yellow or pink, I only care what's between their ears.
Even coaching Under Six's I've got a fresh appreciation that defence is almost 100% mental. And it's not something you can teach - being willing to go into a collision where you know there is every chance your going to get hurt is against human nature where our natural thought process is to protect ourselves. Concentration is another key aspect of defence, and again, it's a wired cognitive ability that can only be trained to a certain extent.
As a club, starting from our grassroots, through our junior rep programs, into our NYC elite and into the NRL team, I want us to start re-wiring everything around defence and the attitude that is required to defend effectively.
What it will mean, is we'll miss out on a few exceptional athletes. There will be kids who we need to say as a 15 year old - look your defence isn't up to our junior rep program, go back and work on it at your junior club and then try again next year. Chance are they won't - they'll go and play for another district. Some of those kids, and these are the ones we really want to keep, will actually go back, understand what's being said and come back and force their way into your programs. I reckon a lot of those ones we miss out, will be the ones who never reach their potential anyway.
What we won't miss out on is a player like Paul Gallen, because we'll be most willing to persist with players even though their not yet the right body shape.
Replies
Hi 1Eyed, I fully support any move that gets Parra to focus on defence. It needs to be addressed at the grass roots level & u r correct concerning our juniors. The rubbish in defence that we have been witnessing this season needs to stop. I posted earlier in the season about an interview with Craig Bellamy concerning player recruitment. He advised that the essential quality he looks for in assessing potential recruits is mental toughness before he even considers ability.
All Blacks pack v France 2013
1. Wyatt Crockett
2. Andrew Hore
3. Owen Franks
4. Luke Romano
5. Samuel Whitelock
6. Victor Vito
7. Sam Cane
8. Kieran Read
I'm sure there are some of these guys with some Maori blood in them but by and large the names are not Polynesian. The All Blacks packs have been dominated by non Polynesian surnames for yonks, whilst the backline have had numerous Polynesian names.
What does this mean - who the hell knows - but it looks like the point you made about our ex-NZ coach "Kearney was actually of the belief that as a stereotype your anglo forwards tended to have better endurance and you needed a few of those guys in your pack for balance". Perhaps he was simply following a formula the most successful football team ever has identified.
The ability to concentrate whilst fatigued is something that can also be trained for. Naturally as you point out that you need the right mental attitude and defensive ability to begin with. However if you don't train hard enough, you will make mental errors when you are fatigued. Some of this falls back on the captain to lead the rest of the team off the field (eg at training) as well as on the field.
The question is how do we identify and recruit mental toughness and good decision making. I'm sure the armed forces would have some sort of testing for this. Perhaps some sort of collaboration is in order?
I reckon it's pretty easy to identify who is struggling - there probably the one's who are missing the tackles in your junior rep teams. Rather than overlook you, I reckon you have to put that kid on some kind of program to see if it can be fixed and if not, you just say go and play for Penrith or Tiges. But it's something I've always wanted to see the club focus on - the mental side of the game, and I was heartened when news came out that Ricky had brough a sports psychologist along with him, but I think that work has to be done in their formative stages. It's very hard to rewire an adult brain - as my wife fully has come to appreciate :-)
In the Brian Smith years our teams could always defend, hence they usually made the eight. When our attack clicked we would do even better, eg 2001.
Our defence is disgraceful and hasn't been good since Smith left to be honest. Defence is about attitude, in my opinion Hindmarsh's defensive technique was crap, but he had the right attitude so he usually made the tackle. The players we have at the moment either aren't on board with Stuart or just don't have the right attitude. I would say its both.
I guess next year will be the test when Stuart has players who know they are wanted at the club and who hopefully have the right attitude.
We should be throwing large wads of cash at Peter Sharp to try get him back to the club as defensive coach, we always defended well when he was involved at Parra.
Billy Johnston start with just to be f cruel then sharpy.........................
please note I'm not saying all.
eg Loko can't run into a hole or pass, two basic requirements for a centre. his whole life he has run over kids. whereas Morgan uses and has developed skills to evade players and run at holes (wish our halves could put him in to more). Morgan is the better centre cause he has developed the right skill set for a centre.
if you find right balance by playing those explosive players in back row,
front row and wings.
Polynesian players are a myth. I'll take a team of 95 kg Anglo's to beat a team of 110 kg Polynesians any day of the week.
The reason State of Origin is so successful and competitive is because there are next to no Polynesians in it and the ones who have played don't last e.g T Rex. Now there's always an exception to the rule like Petro. But they are few and far between.
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